''Severed Survival'' is the debut album by
Autopsy released in 1989. This album somewhat continues in the style of Reifert's former band
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
. Lyrically the band thrives heavily on horror, death and gore concepts; nevertheless these are not inspired directly by horror movies, although the title track is based on
Stephen King's short story "
Survivor Type." The album was very influential for future
death metal acts such as
Cannibal Corpse,
Entombed, and
Dismember
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
. It was also a pioneer of gore lyrics. The album features
Steve DiGiorgio on bass.
Various re-releases exist with different bonus tracks and bonus CDs. Furthermore, a different cover exists for this album, which depicts the point of view of the person receiving the autopsy.
The album is notable for its bass sound which was mixed much higher than all the other tracks.
To coincide with the album's 20th anniversary,
Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records is a British independent heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators and Civilised Society) in Dewsbury, England in 1987, who was also a one-time drummer of Sore Throat. ...
released a special two-disc edition of ''Severed Survival'' on February 23, 2009.
It includes rare rehearsal and live material for a bonus disc as well as demo versions of two songs — "Mauled to Death" and "Human Genocide" — which did not make the final cut on the original album. Also featured in the package is a booklet with notes by the band themselves, detailing the history of Autopsy's early years, with rare photos and images. The reissue also includes two new Autopsy tracks that were recorded in September 2008, and are included on the reissue's second disc.
Track listing
All songs written by
Chris Reifert, except where noted.
Personnel
;Autopsy
*
Chris Reifert - Vocals, Drums
*
Danny Coralles
Danny Coralles is one of the current guitarists in the band Autopsy and was co-founder with drummer Chris Reifert of Abscess. Autopsy is back again and have been so since 2009 which is currently producing new material and is actively playing sele ...
- Guitar
* Eric Cutler - Guitar
;Session musician
*
Steve DiGiorgio - Bass
;Production
* Recorded in January 1989 at Starlight Sound
* Produced by
John Marshall and
Autopsy
* Engineered by John Marshall
* Cover art by Kent Mathieu
* Cover art by
Kev Walker
Kevin Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on '' 2000 AD'' and ''Warhammer'' comics and the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''. He is now working for Marvel Comics.
Biography
Walker ...
(Alternative cover)
References
{{Authority control
Autopsy (band) albums
1989 debut albums
Peaceville Records albums